Chinese internet giant Alibaba last week tested an experimental retail model - a Smart Milk Station modelled on a roadside petrol station - to promote milk to millennials.
The Smart Milk Station was designed to heighten interest in milk as a product that could be a part of a daily diet, and the retail experiment took place at a university in Hangzhou, China.
Alibaba says the project, hosted by its Tmall Juhuasuan business unit and its B2C e-commerce platform Tmall International, was part of an ongoing mission to innovate in new retail technologies.
Students attending the 300-square-meter Smart Milk Station received recommendations on the type of milk that met their requirements after taking a quick quiz to determine their preferences.
Milk brands from Nestle, Freedom, Fonterra, and Tmall International's direct-sale brands Maxigenes and Devondale, were included.
After this, students could have a go at winning at a hammer game, like those found at fun fairs, and receive an officially certified "milk power value". Those with the higher milk power value could upload their photo onto the screen, and become the spokesperson for the milk station.
Alibaba said the retail concept was developed after a big data analysis revealed that millennials, especially those of college age, liked to consume milk powder as a dietary supplement to boost energy.
“Catering to the preferences of today's youth, Juhuasuan and Tmall International shorten the distance between brands and these new consumers through the unprecedented yet, as early results indicate, popular approach based on a conventional gas station,” Alibaba said.
